Food Processing

As the global flow of raw materials and packaged goods increases, the benefits and needs of visibility to the food supply chain are crystallizing.

The reception in some quarters was less than enthusiastic when a report comparing food traceability regulations in 20 nations was released.
Written by the Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC), the report weighed factors such as mandatory…

Food Safety

Retailers are trying to offer more affordable healthy food options through the introduction of store brands.

Year after year across the U.S., private label’s growth continues to outpace national brands. According to Private Label Foods & Beverages in the U.S., 8th Edition, a recent report by market research firm Packaged Facts, private label…

Packaging

A reader would like to now how to prevent vendors from sharing plant-specific machine modifications with competitors.

A reader asks...
We have equipment we have modified over the years to improve efficiency and cut repair costs. Because some of it is under warranty, the suppliers often are in our plant to perform scheduled maintenance. What is the best way to prevent our improvements from being given to our competitors while not alienating our vendors?
Our expert responds...
You should be applauded for making modifications that move the operation forward. I would think many of the modifications are on pieces of equipment that are out of warranty. If it is under warranty, the vendor would still be liable, provided you required a performance guarantee. First, you can require a confidentiality agreement with the vendor and stipulate that any equipment…

Whether refrigerated or ambient, food handling facilities steadily are improving their efficiency profiles. Forklift systems are a case in point.

Less air and a higher cube are the changes that immediately come to Pete Rolandelli’s mind when contrasting his new grocery distribution center (DC) with the one it replaced in Elizabeth, N.J.
As vice president-logistics and warehousing at…

Plant-based foods win, sugar and meat lose and eggs and coffee are OK again in recommendations to government agencies.

As has been expected, committee recommendations for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will set off contentious debate over their warnings about meat and added sugars, their recommendations that eggs and coffee are OK and that the environmental impact of food should be considered when choosing foods.
Plant-based foods, then, scored high on two counts -- for general health and for environmental impact – when the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) on Feb. 19 made public its nonbinding recommendations to the USDA and Dept. of Health and Human Services (which includes the FDA), which will together write the final Dietary Guidelines by the end of this year.
"The overall body of evidence examined by the 2015 DGAC identifies…

Whether refrigerated or ambient, food handling facilities steadily are improving their efficiency profiles. Forklift systems are a case in point.

Less air and a higher cube are the changes that immediately come to Pete Rolandelli’s mind when contrasting his new grocery distribution center (DC) with the one it replaced in Elizabeth, N.J.
As vice president-logistics and warehousing at…

As the global flow of raw materials and packaged goods increases, the benefits and needs of visibility to the food supply chain are crystallizing.

The reception in some quarters was less than enthusiastic when a report comparing food traceability regulations in 20 nations was released.
Written by the Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC), the report weighed factors such as mandatory…

Recent

Our list of the most read 'what is' ingredient articles in 2015.

There have been numerous reports lately about the ills of processed food. Emulsifiers took the biggest hit in late February after a report in Nature revealed that two widely-used dietary emulsifiers had impacted the gut microbiota in mice. Your average consumer might remember an emulsifier as that thing that makes other stuff stick together. As a food manufacturer, you know better than that. But what else are people trying to learn more about?
See our list of what informative ingredient articles rendered the most traffic. In the last several months:
Is Algae DHA As Healthy as Fish Oil DHA?
Understanding Polydextrose and How It Works
Understanding Monk Fruit: The Next Generation Natural Sweetener
Refuting Myths About Carrageenan…

Food Processing is now accepting nominations for its 2015 R&D Teams of the Year award.

Do you think you have a great product development team, one worthy of a story? Nominate your favorite team by telling us in the fields below who they are and why they're deserving of the honor.
We'll put the essays of two or three teams in each category against each other this Spring. The most votes in our website wins.
The winners will be profiled in our June issue.
Nominate your favorite R&D Team below.

R&D

The natural link between food and fitness has stimulated a mountain of sports nutrition research and launched countless products marketed to fitness-minded consumers.

The research into nutrition and fitness is now so extensive, every five years the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) publishes in its journal a review of studies on the topic. Subjects range from the effects of dietary supplements and…

Plant-based foods win, sugar and meat lose and eggs and coffee are OK again in recommendations to government agencies.

As has been expected, committee recommendations for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will set off contentious debate over their warnings about meat and added sugars, their recommendations that eggs and coffee are OK and that the environmental impact of food should be considered when choosing foods.
Plant-based foods, then, scored high on two counts -- for general health and for environmental impact – when the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) on Feb. 19 made public its nonbinding recommendations to the USDA and Dept. of Health and Human Services (which includes the FDA), which will together write the final Dietary Guidelines by the end of this year.
"The overall body of evidence examined by the 2015 DGAC identifies…

Add flavors and functionality to your formulations with this month's ingredient round-up.

Roasted corn products
Save time with organic IQF Roasted Corn. From salsas to corn chowder, corn adds flavor, texture and color to foods. The company’s roasted corn product is said to handle and store better than raw corn and lend a distinct,…

Recent

Our March 2015 new product rollout offers morsels of sweet, salty, and scrumptious that consumers will love.

Food and beverage manufacturers have been busy producing little slices of deliciousness for hungry consumers. From exotic flavors to sweet-tooth savers, this month's product rollout features an array of new products.
Tomato Ketchup Heats Up with Sriracha
Today’s evolving taste buds crave new flavors, which is why Heinz is getting hot with Heinz Ketchup Blended with Sriracha Flavor.
>>Learn more about this product
Cheetos Sweetos Gives A Cheesy Tradition a Sweet Side
Cheetos Sweetos replaces the signature Cheetos cheese flavor with cinnamon sugar.
>>Learn more about this product
Triple-Layered Yogurt Contains Three Layers of Decadence
Stonyfield's newest yogurt contains three layers of goodness: cream, honey sweetened whole…

Relevant

Plant-based foods win, sugar and meat lose and eggs and coffee are OK again in recommendations to government agencies.

As has been expected, committee recommendations for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will set off contentious debate over their warnings about meat and added sugars, their recommendations that eggs and coffee are OK and that the environmental impact of food should be considered when choosing foods.
Plant-based foods, then, scored high on two counts -- for general health and for environmental impact – when the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) on Feb. 19 made public its nonbinding recommendations to the USDA and Dept. of Health and Human Services (which includes the FDA), which will together write the final Dietary Guidelines by the end of this year.
"The overall body of evidence examined by the 2015 DGAC identifies…

And the currently little niches that some day could be selling tons of your product.

I was talking to some retail executives recently and the conversation became focused on competition. It was not surprising that everyone was very concerned about the big guys that were taking their customers and their sales. What surprised me about the conversation was they seemed rather uninterested in the little guys that were taking their customers and sales.
Now I understand that when someone is beating you over the head with a bat, you may be more interested in the guy beating you than the guy standing in line waiting for his turn. On the other hand, I believe that a prudent food retailer should recognize that 100 small competitors can be just as troublesome as one large competitor.
So the discussion focused on who are all these small…

New Food Products (Database)

The National Association for Female Executives awarded the food processor as one of the Top 50 Companies for Executive Women.

Kellogg has been named one of the Top 50 Companies for Executive Women by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE).
NAFE operates one of the largest associations for women professionals. The annual list is compiled by NAFE after a thorough review of several factors, including the number of women in each company, and corporate programs and policies dedicated to advancing women.
According to a release, Kellogg Co. includes four women on its board of directors, or 38 percent, and eight women holding spots on the company's Global Leadership Team. This is the second consecutive year Kellogg has been named to the list and the fourth time receiving the recognition since 2009.
Read the full release on Kellogg Co.'s…

Business

The Director of Millennial Engagement will discuss how companies can really listen to their customers during his address on April 28.

The team responsible for bringing the first annual Food Leaders Summit to life recently announced its keynote speaker. Vance Crowe, Director of Millennial Engagement with Monsanto Company, will be speaking to conference attendees about how to have a real, honest conversation with the public about food.
The keynote address, Facing the Restless Generation: Finding what it takes to connect with Millennials, will occur on the first full day of the event, April 28,
According to the Food Leaders Summit website, Crowe will define who the Millennials are in broad but relatable terms, and then describe how Monsanto, a company with low credibility among parts of this generation, is adapting to listen, understand, and address the questions of a…

First outsider to head family-run processor/supplier.

Darifair Foods Inc., a Jacksonville, Fla., food manufacturer with emphasis on foodservice accounts, in January named Midd McManus as president, the first non-family member named to that position.
The company says he is an experienced leader in operations, sales and supply chain in the food industry, and most recently was executive vice president at Sun Orchard, leading their efforts in the foodservice beverage category.
Prior to that, McManus held positions within Morningstar Foods, a subsidiary of Dean Foods, including national director of supply chain, senior director of sales operations, vice president and general manager of foodservice and retail channels, and vice president of away-from-home national account sales.
Darifair Foods…

Recent

A nation-wide check-off program, from farmers to processors, will take the organic market to the next level.

America’s certified organic stakeholders are now considering the most critical and potentially transformative issue for the organic industry since the discussions more than 20 years ago to develop national guidelines and regulations for the then…

Power Lunch

Or at least infiltrate their ranks with some intel from the Food Leaders Summit in April.

I’m a little teary-eyed to be making this admission. It appears I’ll be stepping down, along with 75 million others, as the largest generation the U.S. has ever seen.
Pew Research Center released a report in January that those pesky millennials will surpass us baby boomers in numbers some time this year. Those born 1981-1997 number about 75 million. With a few untimely deaths, baby boomers (born 1946-1964) soon will slip under 75 million.
So much marketing and consumer research, much of it in the food and beverage industry, has focused on us for decades. Tom Brokaw was just being modest when he called our parents “The Greatest Generation.” OK, living through the Great Depression and two world wars is reasonably impressive, but what…

What I've learned about this next generation of food and beverage marketers.

My fall semester is over and I've had a chance to review what the new generation of food marketing job seekers will look like. I'm trying to be as objective as possible, as I clearly remember my father saying that our nation would fall apart when…

Careers

Processors are up against four very big and very real consumer-related issues in 2015.

Looking both forward and backward from the vantage point of New Year's Eve, 2014 may well be remembered as the calm before the storms of 2015. Several big issues loom for the food and beverage industry. All of them went begging for solution in the…

Industry Outlook

With the worst of the Great Recession behind them, food production professionals entered the New Year with fewer questions and more answers about their companies’ and personal paths forward.

Greater confidence and certainty about the future -- for both their own and their organizations’ prospects -- characterizes food professionals’ attitudes as they look forward to 2015, according to feedback from Food Processing’s 14th Annual…

Manufacturing Trends

Plant-based foods win, sugar and meat lose and eggs and coffee are OK again in recommendations to government agencies.

As has been expected, committee recommendations for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will set off contentious debate over their warnings about meat and added sugars, their recommendations that eggs and coffee are OK and that the environmental impact of food should be considered when choosing foods.
Plant-based foods, then, scored high on two counts -- for general health and for environmental impact – when the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) on Feb. 19 made public its nonbinding recommendations to the USDA and Dept. of Health and Human Services (which includes the FDA), which will together write the final Dietary Guidelines by the end of this year.
"The overall body of evidence examined by the 2015 DGAC identifies…

Ingredient Trends

Plant-based foods win, sugar and meat lose and eggs and coffee are OK again in recommendations to government agencies.

As has been expected, committee recommendations for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will set off contentious debate over their warnings about meat and added sugars, their recommendations that eggs and coffee are OK and that the environmental impact of food should be considered when choosing foods.
Plant-based foods, then, scored high on two counts -- for general health and for environmental impact – when the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) on Feb. 19 made public its nonbinding recommendations to the USDA and Dept. of Health and Human Services (which includes the FDA), which will together write the final Dietary Guidelines by the end of this year.
"The overall body of evidence examined by the 2015 DGAC identifies…

R&D Trends

Small brewers are among the leaders in our annual look at construction, which foresees a 15 percent increase.

Packaged bacon and other value-added production is driving annual revenue growth of 3-4 percent at Tyson Foods. Pork and chicken consumption are climbing, but demand for beef is falling as prices rise, putting a chill on capital investments.
The investment community’s attitude toward food and beverage processing is, at best, cool.
Solid but stolid sums up the Street’s view of publicly traded food companies. Sure, many food corporations are consistently profitable and deliver products indispensable to human life, but they lack the sizzle investors love.
In its most recent ratings on 97 industries, Value Line investment survey placed the food industry in the bottom quartile of buy recommendations, ahead of metal fabrication and…

Capital Spending

This year's list of the top food and beverage companies has been altered mostly by domestic buying.

Whereas 2013 saw several U.S. firms undertake acquisitions across the globe – and one mega deal that made a U.S. firm owned by the Chinese – part of last year and the first half of 2014 seem to be playing out as a time of renewed interest in…

Top 100 for 2013

This year's list of the top food and beverage companies has been altered mostly by domestic buying.

Whereas 2013 saw several U.S. firms undertake acquisitions across the globe – and one mega deal that made a U.S. firm owned by the Chinese – part of last year and the first half of 2014 seem to be playing out as a time of renewed interest in…

Top 100 for 2012

With 322 total mergers and acquisitions recorded in 2010, the food and beverage industry is seeing the highest M&A figure since 2008, and about even with the 2005 figure.

The year 2010 began and ended with blockbuster deals.
Kraft Foods Inc. engineered the two biggest mergers and acquisitions of 2010: acquiring Cadbury Plc (in a drama that played out through most of 2009), then helping to pay for that $19.4 billion purchase by selling its pizza business to Nestle SA for $3.7 billion. Both those sales closed in January of 2010.
February saw suddenly acquisitive Diamond Foods get chip maker Kettle Foods, and Sunsweet acquire Herbal Water, maker of Ayala’s Herbal Water.
Last summer, Snyder’s of Hanover Inc. merged with Lance Inc. Seneca Foods Corp. bought Unilink LLC and Lebanon Valley Cold Storage LP, both makers of frozen fruits and vegetables.
In the fall, Ralcorp Holdings bought American Italian Pasta…

Top 100 for 2010

The Food Processing Top 100 list of food and beverage manufacturers is now available in an interactive format.

Starting this year, the Food Processing Top 100 list of food and beverage manufacturers will be available as an interactive, fully-sortable grid on http://www.foodprocessing.com/top100.
All 100 company names, rankings, food sales and company sales will be sortable in ascending or descending order. The sorting function is controlled by clicking the up or down arrow as shown in the image below.
Another added benefit to the interactive list is the introduction of individual profiles for each of the top 100 companies. Each profile contains information such as address, websites, brands or products, executives and much more. You can access the individual company profiles by clicking on the company name in the grid.

Top 100 for 2009

The 2008 top 100 food and beverage processing companies in the U.S. and Canada are profiled in this annual feature. Find company contact information, major brands, key executives and main product areas.

Top 100 for 2008

The 2007 top 100 food and beverage processing companies in the U.S. and Canada are profiled in this annual feature. Find company contact information, major brands, key executives and main product areas.

Energy drinks certainly are hot right now, and one of the hottest ingredients in those beverages is an oldie-but-goodie: vitamin B12.

B12 is responsible for the body’s metabolization of fats and carbohydrates as well as for DNA and RNA production. “The body stores about 2-3g [of B12] and loses about 0.1-0.2 percent per day,” says Lori Stern, scientific leader at DSM Nutritional Products, Inc., Parsippany, N.J. Although it may take 2-6 years to lose these stores, Stern cautions, “It is not recommended to let stores become depleted because of the serious consequences of B12 deficiency.”

Consequences can include memory loss, disorientation, hallucinations, and tingling in the arms and legs. Some people diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's disease actually are suffering from the more reversible vitamin B12 deficiency, according to a Harvard School of Public Health report.

New research has indirectly linked B complex vitamins to protection from heart disease. “There are population data to show that increased levels of homocysteine can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, while B vitamins [folic acid, B6 and B12] have been shown to effectively lower blood homocysteine levels,” according to Stern.

As a result, FDA allows a qualified health claim (“evidence in support of the claim is inconclusive”) connecting folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 to reduced risk of vascular disease.

Striking a balance between vitamin content and taste, developers of Fuze apparently felt comfortable only fortifying the beverage to 50 percent of the RDA of vitamin B12.

In addition to antioxidants and its general trendiness, the acai berry contributes vitamin B12 to Anheuser-Busch’s nonalcoholic 180 Blue.

Four forms of supplemental B12 are available, according to Ram Chaudhari, senior executive vice president and chief scientific officer at based Fortitech Inc., Schenectady, N.Y. “While cyanocobalamin is the form most typically used, hydroxocobalamin and adenosylcobalamin are two others.”

Manufacturers looking to set their product apart, though, may try another form, which Chaudhari suggests “may be the best of all”: methylcobalamin. “Research shows this active form of B12 has the unique ability to provoke the regeneration of nerves without adverse side effects,” he claims. “This is because B12 facilitates methylation, the process that creates and maintains nerves and brain chemicals.”

But B12 has degradation issues. “Cyanocobalamin vitamin B12 loses its activity when exposed to light, oxygen and acid or all alkali-containing environments, but it is heat-stable,” Chaudhari continues.

Interaction with other ingredients also can limit vitamin functionality. “Calcium can prevent the adsorption of B12,” warns Heather Biehl, senior scientist for Wild Flavors Inc., Erlanger, Ky. She also notes that vitamin C can interact with B12 and accelerate degredation.

Degredation due to light and oxidation is a concern. According to Gus Castro, senior technical marketing manager-beverages for DSM Nutritional Products, “The only way to ensure label claim is to add ‘overages’ – extra vitamins to meet the claim at the end of shelf-life.” It’s also a good idea to use cans instead of glass or clear plastic.

If manufacturers are creating a dry mix version of an energy drink, encapsulation is a way to overcome some technological problems associated with functional food ingredients, since usually a dry mix would be added to the liquid just prior to consumption.

Over-supplementation is one way processors can beat degradation, and it may even improve the marketing of the end product, but it does not appear to improve absorption of the ingredient. “B12 absorption appears to be a function of dose. The smaller the dose, the more is absorbed and vice versa,” according to Stern.

In this regard, the National Academies of Science report data that show 60 percent of a 5 microgram dose of supplemental crystalline B12 is absorbed vs. 1 percent absorption of a 500 microgram dose. So processors are increasing their production costs without increasing any benefits.

B-12's marketing spin

Producers like FRS Co., Foster City, Calif., use B12 in FRS Healthy Energy as “one of seven vitamins that play a supporting role in the beverage to maximize the bioavailability and effectiveness of key ingredients like quercetin,” a flavonoid found in fruits and vegetables, according to director of marketing Korinne Munson. FRS, by the way, stands for free radical scavenger.

Anheuser-Busch Cos., St. Louis, inserts B12 benefits through use of the vitamin- and antioxidant-rich acai berry in its nonalcoholic 180 Blue beverage.

With an over-the-top product name, why not go over the top with B12 fortification? Redux Beverage’s buzz-worthy drink has 600 percent of the RDA of the vitamin.

According to Castro, B vitamins will charge you up along with the caffeine, ginsing or guarana in most of the energy drinks, but the charge is short-lived. And since B vitamins are water soluble, the excess is quickly eliminated.

What’s the ideal amount? Vitamin Energy by Glaceau and SoBe Energy by SoBe Beverage Co. have 100 percent of the RDA for B12. On the other hand, Redux Beverage’s Cocaine drink contains 600 percent of the RDA for B12. That’s overkill in terms of fortification, but who can say what it does for marketing?

But quantity can affect taste. “In energy drinks with 100 or 200 percent RDA, you’ll get a vitamin taste or smell,” Castro points out. To mask unwanted tastes, some ingredient suppliers can pair B12 with products that block bitter receptors.

“Flavor impact” was a critical consideration of Fruit2O Energy, according to Sydney McHugh, spokesperson for Cincinnati-based Sunny Delight Beverage Corp. Perhaps as a result, the drink contains just 20 percent of the RDA for vitamins B6, B12 and niacin.

Fuze Beverage, a Coca-Cola unit based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., provides 50 percent of the RDI of B12 in its Refresh and tea drinks.

While most marketing of energy drinks is geared toward the younger crowd, customers over age 50 represent a great opportunity for the vitamin B12 story. These consumers “are at increased risk of B12 malabsorption due to the conditions that hinder the production of stomach acid, which is essential to release B12 from food,” according to Lori Stern of DSM.